IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

The speech that brought down the government Fruits of Labour's Irish policy

· Socialist Challenge No. 90, 5 April 1979 · p. 7 of the scan · 867 words

The scan: sc-n90-apr-5-1979.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 1-6 of 7; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 7 of the scan

government.

"This will be the unhappiest speech I have ever made in this House. When I was elected in 1966, I sat on the Labour Benches...

*When the Labour Government were defeated, I took my place among Labour Members Opposition benches.

Throughout a 14-year period in Parliament 1 have never once voted in the Conservative Lobby...

However, all that we had built laboriously wrecked by the February 1974. Wethen in May of that year experienced the UWC strike. That strike terrified the Labour Government.

"Since the Labour Government have been running The Transitional Programme, 30p plus 10p p&p, from The Other Bookshop, 328 Upper St, London N1.

WOMEN IN ACTION new women's liberation paper IN THE END it was Labour's Irish policy, leading to the abstentions of Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt and Independent Republican which sealed the fate Socialist Challenge does not agree with many things which Gerry Fitt does. It does not agree with some of the points he made in the Commons last Wednesday. But his speech was an eloquent indictment of what the We reprint this edited extract, not just for the value of what Fitt said, but because Labour supporters have the right to know why he abstained and brought down away i to Unionists They have not stood up and extremists as they should have done... *Some journalists and others have said that personality conflict the present Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and me.

That is totally untrue. *The right hon. Gentleman is only implementing Government policies in Northern Ireland. If I criticise him, I was criticise this Government. in *In late 1976 or early 1977 the Government WCHE minority and began to make arrangements with the Ulster Unionists. *Every deal that they made so antagonised community in Northern Ireland tal any denunciation or unis Government gets a standing ovation..

I believe that the Labour Party will win the next election, and my speech is an attempt to point out the Government's tragic mistakes over the past five years. *I did not make up my mind about how to vote because of devolution Scotland and Wales. I made my mind up the Friday before last when I read the Bennett report on police brutality in Northern *The report clearly states that TECH WELC brutalised ill-treated in the holding centres in Northern Ireland. tions were placed on debating A WOMEN that report when discussing the Northern Ireland and we have not been promised a debate. 'That report was only the tip of the iceberg. We have heard of Watergate and Muldergate, "Bennett-gate" *When the true story emerges of what has been happening in the interrogation centres, people in the United Kingdom will receive it with shock, horror and resentment.. *It has been said that if I do not vote for the Government tonight and there is an election, Loyalist the alternative is just as bad. I do not think that that is so. *I want to see a continuation Labour there is But if there is a Conservative between Government, I warn them not to get carried away with the belief that somewhere around solution to une Labour Ireland problem.

'Unfortunately that is the tune we have heard from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Every Monday morninto ing at 0 o'clock he sees the Chief Constable. Every Monday at Ipm we hear on the news that so many IRA men have been caught and so many have been sent to gaol *Every Monday the Secretary of State looks for a military solution. But Mondays and Mondays and more Mondays when there will be no military solution and there will be no solution at al until we start to grapple with the political Northern Ireland My grievances are very clear tonight and readily understood.

in though not too many of my and Restricwere will be the Government.

*Many regret devil in the person Northern Northern 'In all say this in the House, many of them have told me that they recognise what has been going the Labour on over Northern Ireland and 1 Many regret bitterly ever handling having done a deal with the Unionist Party. But it is too late now.

understanding the real needs of COnSCICCE. and Northern Ireland, I would be a liar and a traitor to the people ALL the Ulster Unionist MPs Counties. who sent me here if I were to go into the Lobby tonight with Government to confidence of the affairs of Northern Ireland.

*I want to see an election as soon as possible. I want to see the abour Government wir with such a majority that never again will they have to rely on the votes of the Unionists in Northern Ireland.' Menos The government has not even bothered to submit evidence to the European Human Rights Court, to which a member of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights TWO Association has taken the issue.

The London Gay Activists Alliance supports the demand for the extension of the Act, and picket of thi Northern Ireland Office, Great London SWI, Six | Saturday, 7 April, noon to 2pm.

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government has stood for on Ireland. the government.

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